Damian Lillard addresses Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury after Bucks' win over Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard had his heart drop when Giannis Antetokounmpo went down and nearly lost had a season-ending injury in a 104-91 Milwaukee Bucks win against the Boston Celtics on April 9.

"Any time you see one of your teammates go down, it's a real level of concern," Lillard said (h/t CBS Sports). "You know, we spend a lot of time around each other, more than we would our families. I think that was the No. 1 thing, and then for it to be your best player, the most important part of our team, at this point in our season -- it was like an 'oh shit' moment. Especially because there was nobody else around. I was right next to him, so I just saw his facial expression, so obviously I got scared."

It cannot be stated enough: the Bucks nearly lost all of their hope for the 2024 postseason had there been damage done to the Greek Freak's Achilles. That was avoided, and Giannis could be back before the start of the playoffs, but nothing is settled just yet. It'd certainly benefit the Bucks to get him back before the postseason since Milwaukee is only two games ahead of the No. 5 seed with three games remaining.

Bucks an unsung threat to Boston Celtics in postseason if Damian Lillard catches fire

With Jrue Holiday in tow, the Celtics are better prepared for the Bucks than most. Not only did Holiday share a locker room with most of Milwaukee's major pieces the past three seasons, but he's the designated Lillard stopper come playoff time.

Of course, that's if Lillard can be stopped. Time and again, we've seen Dame outperform expectations and lead the Portland Trail Blazers past supposedly more talented teams in the playoffs with otherworldly shooting.

Between Lillard, Giannis, and noted Cs killer Khris Middleton, Boston shouldn't expect a cakewalk with Milwaukee if the two franchises are matched up.